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Pollination

How do you pollinate dragon fruit?

Dragon fruit flowers bloom at night and may require assistance with pollination for optimal fruit set.

Natural pollination

In their natural environment:

1. Dragon fruit flowers open at night and close by morning.
2. They are naturally pollinated by nocturnal creatures such as bats and moths.
3. Some varieties are self-pollinating (though, very rare). Many are self fertile, but most are self sterile and require cross-pollination to set fruit.

What is the difference between self pollinating, self fertile, and self sterile?

"Self pollinating" means: That a flower can pollinate itself, even without insects or your help. It can set fruit, all by itself, with no intervention. These are incredibly rare! Most people when they call a dragon this, they are actually self fertile.

"Self fertile" means: That a flower can use its own pollen to set fruit, but it needs the help of insects or YOU, to actually set fruit. Many people confuse these two things. Keep this in mind. These are quite wonderful to have.

"Self sterile" means: That a flower cannot use its own pollen, and is forced to use the pollen of another plant, in order to set fruit. While harder to set fruit, self sterile varieties often times have superior tasting fruit due to the genetic diversity.

No matter which method of pollination your dragon requires, we recommend you ALWAYS cross pollinate your flowers, as this leads to fruit that are twice as big and more flavorful! So, get out there with your headlamp and keyboard vacuum and start collecting and storing pollen!

Hand pollination

For better fruit production, especially for indoor plants or self-sterile varieties:

1. Timing: Pollinate 2-3 hours after the flower opens or early in the morning before it closes. The pollen sacs, while tight in the early evening, loosen up by 10pm making harvesting much easier.
2. Method: Hold a bowl under the flower and using your first two fingers together, beat the anthers (the golden strands) vigorously back and forth, and the pollen will start to fall into the bowl. There should be a fair amount by the time you are done. We recommend using a keyboard vacuum to maximize the amount of pollen collected.
3. Technique: Once collected, gently transfer the pollen to a soft makeup brush and apply it to the stigma (the octopus looking thing). Start in the center and brush outwards towards the tips. Ensure you coat the stamen very well, as the better the pollination, the bigger the potential fruit can develop!
4. Pollen can be collected for later use, up to a year later when properly processed and stored! So make sure to collect and process as much as you can!

Storing pollen long term

Pollen collected fresh should be placed in a bowl, spread out evenly, and left out undisturbed to dry overnight. After completely drying out, place in a small airtight container that is very clearly labeled and placed in a freezer where it will not be disturbed. If the pollen does not stay temperature stable the pollen will go bad. Do not place it in a freezer door that is constantly opened, or in a deep freezer that has a defrosting cycle. The temperature shifts will destroy the pollen.

Pollen can be quickly removed, and the receptacle can be quickly placed back in the freezer after use. However, once the pollen is removed and thawed it can never be refrozen again, it must be used immediately or it will sterilize. With proper storage and care, you will always have pollen to start a new season with fruit, as it will last a full year.

Pollination alternatives

If hand pollination is not feasible:

1. Purchase self-pollinating varieties.
2. Plant 4 different dragon varieties per post.
3. Encourage more flower growth by spraying liquid potash.
4. Use companion planting to attract bees and insects.
5. Use lights to bring in moths and night insects.